Geography courses at Bristol provide a mixture of broad academic foundation and specialisation based on our internationally recognised research profile. They span the natural and human environments and interactions between them, and also consider the multitude of changing ways that geographers approach academic investigation. The subject matter covers basic processes controlling environmental and societal development on the Earth's surface at the full range of spatial and temporal scales. We consider both theoretical approaches and practical research methods and apply these in a wide range of physical, cultural, political and socio-economic contexts.
The full spectrum of courses offered by the School is listed in the Unit Catalogue with brief descriptions of content. (Levels C, I, H and M are equivalent to Certificate, Intermediate, Honours and Masters levels and broadly map on to Years 1 to 4, respectively)
Students on all three Geography degree programmes take the same core course in Year 1, where an introduction to the full spectrum of inquiry is given. Year 1 teaching aims to cover a range of processes in physical geography (ecosystems, river catchments, hillslopes, glacial landscapes, meteorology, pollution and remote sensing) and human geography (economic, population and behavioural geography and studies of world cities, spatial analysis and development). Lectures on the nature and development of geography complete the lecture programme. Two-thirds of your learning in Year 1 is provided by the compulsory Geography course, the rest of your learning comprises additional open units chosen from within Geography or from a wide range of units offered by other departments.
After Year 1, you follow one of three syllabuses, which are available for each of the BSc and MSci Geography degree programmes
Each syllabus becomes increasingly specialised with progression to end of Year 3 (or 4) and often uses subject matter that is related to recent research advances by academic staff. A particular feature across all syllabuses is the provision of IT and research methodology skills. These allow students to undertake independent research projects in Years 3 (BSc and MSci) and 4 (MSci). Fieldwork is integral to all programmes and syllabuses, with residential field trips in the UK in Year 1 and overseas in the Year 2 (current locations are Mallorca, Swiss Alps and Barcelona).